Here are 17 ways to save money on groceries. You can avoid waste and overspending by going to the grocery store with a list based on what you intend to cook for the week. Impulse buying can be one of the costliest habits at the grocery store. Crowds can have a negative impact on your grocery budget.

Depending on where you shop, ground turkey or even ground chicken might come at a lower price point than ground beef. Consider swapping your meat choice for one of the lower-cost options. If you normally purchase higher-end cuts of meat, consider reducing costs by swapping out some of it with more affordable alternatives.

In fact, some generic products are exactly the same as name-brands but with a smaller price tag. You can often find hygiene products for less at places like Walmart, Target or one of the dollar stores.

Grocery rewards credit cards offer cash back or points on purchases at the supermarket. Getting a little bit back from each shopping trip will help offset the costs of inflation.

These cards typically pay between 3 and 6 percent in cash back or other rewards. Some also offer rewards on money spent in other categories, including restaurants, gas and home improvement stores. Use either your smartphone or a handheld calculator to add up the cost of your groceries as you go through the aisles.

A lot of stores will also have discounts specifically for loyalty members as well. Many stores let you choose between picking up your order curbside or having it delivered. You may find curbside pickup to be more cost-effective, since delivery fees can be expensive.

Some foods are significantly cheaper when purchased in bulk. This can apply to bread, meat, cheese and more. This practice can be especially useful during certain sales. For instance, you may find a deal that applies when you purchase two loaves of bread or two packages of cheese.

Rather than trying to use it all at once, freeze the spare for later. This is an age-old tip for grocery shopping. Bulk bins allow you to scoop into a bag the exact amount you need of things like grains or nuts. It might not make sense to do too much running around to get all of your groceries, but perhaps a couple different days of the week can be reserved for visiting a couple of different stores.

A good motivator to decrease your grocery spending can be rewarding yourself for a job well done. This can be as small as an occasional trip to the gourmet coffee shop or as large as taking your accumulated savings over time and devoting it to a vacation.

It often starts with planning your meals and creating a shopping list. How to save for college. How to save money in your 20s.

Karen Bennett. Written by Karen Bennett Arrow Right Senior consumer banking reporter. Karen Bennett is a senior consumer banking reporter at Bankrate. She uses her finance writing background to help readers learn more about savings and checking accounts, CDs, and other financial matters.

Nell McPherson. Edited by Nell McPherson Arrow Right Former Banking editor. Nell McPherson is the former banking editor at Bankrate, where she led a team of reporters dedicated to helping readers make the best decisions about their savings and checking accounts, CDs and money market accounts.

Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise. You may not like cooking. You may be very bad at cooking. You may like cooking and be good at it, but hate grocery shopping.

As noted, Americans have been forsaking the kitchen for the local chain restaurant with increasing regularity. And on the plus side, however, we just found a very, very easy way to start reducing your food costs.

We established earlier that you probably have good reasons for dining out. Eating out is not the enemy. The problem is eating out more than you can afford.

You can go a little further if you like, but three should be the minimum. Take that number and multiply it by 75 percent. Next month, reduce down to 50 percent of the original number. The month after that, take it down to 25 percent. Your goal is to reduce the amount of money you spend dining out to 25 percent of what you spend now.

You have three months to do it. Will it come easy? Maybe not. For many, eating out is habit, and habits are hard to break. You take one and spend it on something useful. You take the other and throw it down the garbage disposal. You spend one hey, you got some good stuff!

and you light the other one on fire, then bury the ashes in the backyard. You probably feel quite a bit worse in this scenario, and not just because destroying currency is a crime your secret is safe with me.

Once you start wasting larger amounts of money, that waste becomes a bit more real. So what if I told you that you are currently throwing large bundles of cash down the garbage disposal on a regular basis? We make too much food and throw away the leftovers.

Some food we forget we ever had in the first place. To begin, walk over to your pantry and take a peek. You may need a flashlight to see into the way, way back.

What self-stable foods have you forsaken? What kind of rainy day supplies are buried beneath the frost? The key here is to be mindful of what you already own. How do you integrate this change into your daily life? Well, everyone is different, so what works for one person may not work for another.

Keep a log somewhere — on your phone, computer, or a piece of paper — of everything you have available. If you want to take this to the next level, you can even include expiration dates to help with your planning and prioritizing.

Occasionally, you should plan on skipping the grocery store altogether and instead make meals percent based on the food you already have. You can use a website like My Fridge Food to come up with meal ideas based on what you already have.

But what if you cut your food waste in half? Just like anything else, waste is the result a habit. Thinking you need more food than you actually do and throwing away the leftovers is a habit.

Buying food on sale and stashing it in the refrigerator until it expires is a habit. Habits develop through repetition and positive feedback, which is also how habits are undone and eventually re-written.

You are just as capable of training yourself to behave differently. The best grocery gamers can do two things very well: they can plan meals and they can execute those plans. Most meals keep well in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Meal preppers tend to do their cooking on Sundays, when they have a little more spare time. You can make one extra-large meal or a pair of medium-sized meals, if you prefer a little variety.

Freezing meals gives you the flexibility to make even larger amounts and rotate meals from day to day. You can use the meals you already love — just make double or triple-size portions. If you need a little inspiration, you can join an online community, like the MealPrepSunday subreddit on Reddit, or take a look at all the awesome meal prep ideas on Pinterest.

Will you get sick of eating the same thing three days in a row? You are simply a leaner, meaner in all the best ways version of who you already were. You may want to pause this guide for a bit here.

We are constantly paying for convenience. If you think about it, the simple act of buying groceries represents a cost of convenience — someone else harvested those crops and put everything in a package and drove it to your local food store.

You can save an enormous amount of money by always buying whole chickens instead of separated breasts or thighs, for example, but that can take a lot of work.

Individually, none of them will represent an enormous swing in your financial favor. But over time, these changes will add up. There you have it — a pain-free method for reducing your grocery bill.

All you need to do is make a few slight alterations to your usual routine and never forget why you started to read this guide in the first place: because you have plans. Not really.

Never forget that Big Something, especially when the going gets tough and that steak burrito is calling your name. You have plans.

Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says

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Money-saving Food Sales - Pick some simple, cheaper meals to shrink your stress and your grocery budget. 2. Crunch some numbers while you shop. Pull up the calculator on Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says

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Learn everything about our top-notch financial expert reviews below… Learn More. Search Close this search box. Resources Blog Guides Menu. Blog » Personal Finance » The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money on Groceries. The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money on Groceries. John Boitnott. Posted on August 18th, Table of Contents Toggle.

John Boitnott John Boitnott graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Masters Degree in Education. He worked for 14 years as a broadcast news writer for ABC, NBC, and CBS News where he covered finance, business and real estate.

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He also thinks Target and Walmart are great places to save on food. Commissary, which serves active and retired military personnel, strictly limits its markups. Eligibility to this nationwide grocer was expanded in January Plan before you shop. Make a list and stick to it.

This can reduce impulse purchases and save time. A good place to start is by perusing grocery circulars, which typically are available online.

Or have groceries delivered, but only after checking store policies to make sure you stay on the right side of the deal. Use a store loyalty card. Utilize shopping apps. Also, look into independent apps; three we like are Basket, Ibotta, and Flipp. Basket shows real-time grocery prices online and in-store at local grocers, so you can see where to shop for the best deals; it crowdsources its data, the same way a traffic app like Waze works.

Ibotta and Flipp both identify manufacturer promotions and coupons, and offer direct rebates after you buy from a participating retailer. Compare unit prices. Unit price shelf stickers under each product can help you better compare prices of like items. Go with store brands. Store-brand food and beverage products—also called private label—can cost 20 to 25 percent less than name brands of the same product.

You can often find store brands on shelves just to the right or left of comparable name-brand items. Use a cash-back credit card.

Some offer rewards for grocery purchases. Keep in mind that you may need a credit score of or higher to qualify, says Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at CreditCards. Embrace coupons. Focus on reducing food waste. Also, use the free FoodKeeper app from the Department of Agriculture for guidelines on how to store foods.

Get senior discounts. Harris Teeter and Hy-Vee offer 5 percent discounts, either on specific days or when you present a special store ID card. Fred Meyer and New Seasons Market discounts are 10 percent. Be sure to remember the regular prices of the 10 most common items you buy at the grocery store.

That can help you identify sales cycles. Facebook poster Kathy W. Loss leaders are the items advertised on the front of the supermarket sales circular. With a little meal planning savvy, this is a great way to save big money on your grocery shopping! Not sure what unit pricing is?

Which is a better value? Not so fast. The count package may have a unit price of 70 cents per napkin, but the count package might have a unit price of 67 cents.

In this example, the count package has a lower unit price and offers more value for your dollar. You used to have to buy copies of the Sunday newspaper to get your grocery coupons. But now the Sunday coupon circulars routinely show up in your mailbox.

Several members of Team Clark have experienced great success with cash back apps like Ibotta. By combining the use of several apps, you can really speed up your efforts to save money on groceries!

Warehouse clubs can be a great place to do your shopping because of the value they offer. And there are certain items you can buy at a warehouse club and store for later use. Products like honey, dried beans, maple syrup and rice are just a few things that are so shelf-stable that they never really expire.

If you notice an error on your receipt after checking out, take it to the customer service desk and let them know. Some grocery stores are really generous when it comes to fixing a pricing problem. Did you know you can put hundreds of dollars back in your wallet every year just by changing the plastic you use at the supermarket register?

Of course, this tip is only for those who pay off their bills in full each month. Many stores will have a dedicated rack or shelf. Senior discounts are a dying breed of savings, but some grocery chains still offer them.

Here are grocery stores that offer senior discounts. But the best advice is this: Call ahead and confirm before showing up and expecting a discount.

Paying attention to current coupons and promotions—as well as purchasing in-season foods—can save you many dollars when you start combining In addition to physical coupons, download your favorite grocery store's app, which often features special sales or specific bargains. Sign 17 ways to save money on groceries · 1. Make a meal plan · 2. Shop alone if you can · 3. Shop during the quietest days of the week · 4. Swap: Money-saving Food Sales

Money-asving apply. Savings Advice 50 Frugal Money-saving Food Sales Money-ssaving Aren't Worth the Money You Save February Try before you buy tea, 8 min Read Read more. Money-saving Food Sales the author Rachel Cruze. Though the amount you can save depends on the particular item, buying in bulk almost always costs less per unit. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a sale, but it's essential to stay focused on your shopping list.	On the other hand, wholesale clubs may not be suitable for everyone. It allows you to stock up on essentials and save money in the long run. The best grocery gamers can do two things very well: they can plan meals and they can execute those plans. You take the other and throw it down the garbage disposal. Here are grocery stores that offer senior discounts. What kind of rainy day supplies are buried beneath the frost?	Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says	Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work From grocery apps to price matching to product swaps, we've got your guide to how to save money on groceries Paying attention to current coupons and promotions—as well as purchasing in-season foods—can save you many dollars when you start combining	17 ways to save money on groceries · 1. Make a meal plan · 2. Shop alone if you can · 3. Shop during the quietest days of the week · 4. Swap 11 tips for saving money at the grocery store · 1. Pay with a grocery rewards card · 2. Sign up for the loyalty program · 3. Clip coupons · 4. Join a wholesale club Pick some simple, cheaper meals to shrink your stress and your grocery budget. 2. Crunch some numbers while you shop. Pull up the calculator on
You may be very Money-saving Food Sales at cooking. Fokd us a call and we Top deals today walk Money-savving through the process. Over a Money-savijg of use, that means you order about every two weeks. Choosing the right store for your grocery shopping is a crucial step in optimizing your savings. Skip Navigation. Research different preservation techniques to find the ones that suit your needs and preferences.	Focus on reducing food waste. Related Blog Posts. Also, note that clubs come with membership fees. More Articles From Rachel Cruze. And you can download EveryDollar today for free!	Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says	Pick some simple, cheaper meals to shrink your stress and your grocery budget. 2. Crunch some numbers while you shop. Pull up the calculator on 7 Ways to Maximize Your Savings at the Grocery Store · 1. Helpful Shopping Apps · 2. Grocery Store Loyalty Cards · 3. Plan Meals Around Sale Items To understand how much you spend per meal, try a common technique used by commercial food service operations: cost out a recipe. (Budget Bytes	Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says
Money-saging you have Fkod large family, joining a wholesale club can be a Money-saving Food Sales idea. Shop Budget-friendly wholesale groceries unit price! Please enter a valid email address. Now that you know what those clever stores are up to, you can literally keep your eye out for grocery savings. Read more.	See Openings. Get creative with how you use, store, and eat food. Crypto on the GO. Say hello to freezer meals. Fortunately, you can set up alerts to know when a gift card for your grocery store becomes available. For our full Privacy Policy, click here.	Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says	2. Look for coupons and sales Using coupons is an easy way to save money on groceries. A recent study by CouponFollow found the typical U.S 1. Change Where You Shop · 2. Buy Store Brands · 3. Make a Shopping List and Stick to It · 4. Plan Your Meals for the Week Based on What's on Sale In addition to physical coupons, download your favorite grocery store's app, which often features special sales or specific bargains. Sign	Save money on groceries by using coupons, paying with rewards credit cards, trying generic labels and using other money-saving tricks 1. Change Where You Shop · 2. Buy Store Brands · 3. Make a Shopping List and Stick to It · 4. Plan Your Meals for the Week Based on What's on Sale In addition to physical coupons, download your favorite grocery store's app, which often features special sales or specific bargains. Sign

Money-saving Food Sales - Pick some simple, cheaper meals to shrink your stress and your grocery budget. 2. Crunch some numbers while you shop. Pull up the calculator on Another secret to saving money on groceries is the Asian/international market. The produce there is usually very good quality at lower Meal plan by reading supermarket sale ads, then buy what's on sale, meal prep and eat at home while bringing lunch and snacks to work Use your freezer right. Freezing large quantities of sale and seasonal food saves the average family of four $2, per year, Economides says

Ibotta, Receipt Hog, Checkout 51 and Target Circle are just a few of the great apps that can help you save.

So instead, find some meatless recipes to whip up on Meatless Monday—or whenever! Also, look for cuts of meat that are cheaper alternatives to what you usually buy. Skip the sirloin and grab ground chuck. Pass on the pork chops and pick the pork loin. That way you can have your meat and save money too!

Technically this is a way to save on your overall food budget because restaurants are not groceries. I repeat: Restaurants are not groceries.

Pro tip: Check out these cheap lunch ideas for even more ways to save on your midday meal. Are generic brands really as good as the name brands? Buy some generic groceries , even if you just start small.

Get this: When it comes to staples like salt, sugar and baking soda, a lot of chefs buy generic too. So, listen to the pros when it comes to how to save money on groceries. Every rotten cucumber and moldy peach is like a little stack of cash going right into the trash.

Remember: If you buy the bananas, have the kids eat the bananas. Waste less and save more every month by being super intentional here. But if you like supporting local farmers and buying fresh foods, shop at the end of the day.

When ingredients are overflowing at the farmers market or in your garden , buy in bulk and preserve them for the winter. You might spend more during the summer with the extra produce and canning jars.

But think of it as an investment for a meal a few months ahead. In the winter, you can buy a box of pasta for a couple of bucks and pull a container of your homemade tomato sauce off the shelf. Mix it all up and you have a super cheap, homemade dinner on your hands. Shop the outer edges of the store to find fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and beans.

Your food budget will thank you later. A prepackaged bag of lettuce with a dressing packet and fixings will cost double what a head of lettuce with some simple homemade dressing would. Go for the unpackaged fruits and veggies whenever you can. A word to the wise—if you find that your kids are the culprits of adding all those not-on-the-list items to your cart, you might want to leave them at home.

Or you! Everyone else—Stay. A few new habits can help you lower your monthly grocery bill, stick to your budget, and meet your money goals faster. By the way, I keep talking about having a budget. You should really check out EveryDollar. This is the budgeting app my family uses to plan our spending for groceries and everything else in life.

And you can download EveryDollar today for free! Okay, now you know how to save money on groceries. Making a few changes can add up to big savings, so start going through this list.

Like, now! Get EveryDollar: the free app that makes creating—and keeping—a budget simple. Yes, please. Keep in mind that comparison shopping loses its effectiveness if you are traveling far distances to other stores and using up gas or electricity.

In some cases, investing in a club membership can be worth the savings you get on food and household items. Again, for this to pay off, you need to be strategic about the types of items you buy and choose things that can last a while in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. So ultimately, you want your savings to make up for the cost of the membership in order for any wholesale club you sign up for to be worth it.

Though the amount you can save depends on the particular item, buying in bulk almost always costs less per unit. Big-box stores such as Target and Walmart, as well as online retailers like Amazon, also offer some items in bulk. For Capalad, that realization came while comparing prices on sparkling water.

She found that the bulk option was about a dollar less than her usual purchase, but she was limited to two flavors. Still have a few questions about saving money on groceries? Here are answers to some of the most common questions.

This is a great way to stock up on discounted pantry staples. If coupon cutting isn't your favorite, most grocery stores have the coupons on their app or website so you can just pull them up on your phone or screenshot them.

Some of these sales and coupons might be exclusive to the app or website, so don't sleep on digital coupons. Even small savings add up over time. Shopping at ethnic markets and farmers markets can be a great way to save money on groceries.

These types of stores usually have lower prices than traditional grocery stores, and they often offer unique and interesting products that you can't find at the big box stores. Ethnic markets typically specialize in a certain type of food, such as Mexican, Asian, or Indian food. This means that you can find all of the ingredients you need for a specific dish all in one place, which can be convenient and save you time.

Farmers markets are a great place to buy fresh produce and other perishables. The prices are usually lower than the grocery store, and the produce is usually of better quality since it's fresh from the farm. Many farmers markets also have stands where you can buy meat, eggs, dairy products, and baked goods as well.

Shopping at wholesale stores is another easy way to save money on groceries. These stores usually offer lower prices than typical grocery stores, and they often have a wider selection of products. Additionally, wholesale stores are a great option when buying food in bulk.

This can be a simple way to save money, especially if you have a large family or if you like to cook large meals. Buying in bulk can also be helpful if you like to stockpile certain items.

portioning and freezing meat. Groceries are one of those everyday expenses you can't avoid. However, you can take advantage of this fact by paying for your groceries with a credit card that earns extra cash back on grocery purchases.

This way, you're earning rewards on transactions you would be making anyway, and you can even use those rewards on your future grocery bills.

Might as well earn some free money on top of your normal expenses. This helpful guide from CNN outlines some of the best credit cards for grocery shopping. That said, some cards offer a higher percentage of cash back on groceries than others, so be sure to compare the different offers to see which one will save you the most money.

Additionally, some cards have an annual fee while others do not, so be sure to factor that into your decision. And finally, make sure you're paying off your balance each month so you don't accrue interest that would negate any of your rewards savings.

Many grocery stores offer loyalty programs that give you discounts on your groceries. These programs are usually free to join, and all you need is a phone number or email address.

Once you sign up, you'll start receiving coupons and other discounts that can save you money on your groceries. Additionally, some loyalty programs offer exclusive deals and discounts that are only available to members.

If you use a grocery delivery service, you can shop online and have your groceries delivered right to your door. This is convenient if you don't have time to go to the store, or if you live in a rural area where there are no grocery stores nearby. Additionally, many grocery delivery services offer discounts on your first order, so be sure to take advantage of those savings.